Neoliberalism and education

Join us in a ‘space of dialogue and human action’

“…Conversely, attention to community and to mutual responsibility for the well-being of all citizens, in particular those from marginalized communities, are critiqued as old fashioned, not viable and even dangerous in this globalized world. Such out-of-favor, progressive programs and legislation were once devoted to, for example, supporting families, protecting voting and other civil rights and providing equity through multicultural and bilingual education and the education of people with disabilities Davies and Bansel 2007;Baltodano 2012).…”

“…Since the 1980s, neoliberalism-the dominant ideology underpinning political, social and economic policies and practices in the United States-has been developed and imposed by multinational corporations, banks and organizations; individual philanthropists including venture capitalists and hedge fund managers; foundations and think tanks; and politicians of varying allegiances (Davies and Bansel 2007;Baltodano 2012;Hatch 2015). Arguing that the needs of the business marketplace are primary and supercede attention to the common public good and the nurturing of citizens to participate in democracy, neoliberals advance competition, efficiency, privatization, deregulation, individualism and individual responsibility for success or failure, choice as a form of freedom, accountability, anti-unionism and entrepreneurial and consumer concerns as the foundational values and hallmarks of the reforms needed to spur the economic growth necessary for advancing contemporary societies (Davies and Bansel 2007;Steger and Roy 2010;Baltodano 2012).…”

“…Arguing that the needs of the business marketplace are primary and supercede attention to the common public good and the nurturing of citizens to participate in democracy, neoliberals advance competition, efficiency, privatization, deregulation, individualism and individual responsibility for success or failure, choice as a form of freedom, accountability, anti-unionism and entrepreneurial and consumer concerns as the foundational values and hallmarks of the reforms needed to spur the economic growth necessary for advancing contemporary societies (Davies and Bansel 2007;Steger and Roy 2010;Baltodano 2012). Conversely, attention to community and to mutual responsibility for the well-being of all citizens, in particular those from marginalized communities, are critiqued as old fashioned, not viable and even dangerous in this globalized world.…”

Feeling our way: academia, emotions and a politics of care

“…This paper aims to better understand the role of emotions in academic practices, and their part in producing, and challenging, an increasingly normalized neoliberal academy (Berg, 2015), and the concomitant regulation of academic subjects (Davies & Bansel, 2007). This follows Berlant's (2011) insistence on neoliberalism as a set of delocalised processes significant in changing 'norms of reciprocity', rather than a homogenising, global phenomenon whose forces have similar effects everywhere.…”

Short-term International Experience (STIE) and Students’ Understanding of Quality Early Childhood Service Provision

“…Increased understanding and sensitivity make it more likely teachers will modify curriculum and learning experiences to benefit each individual student and rely less on a standardised one-size-fits-all approach. However, in our current neoliberal world such an approach to diversity in the classroom, whilst encouraged in rhetoric, is not encouraged in reality (Connell, 2013;Davies & Bansel, 2007;Giroux, 2013). Rather, a focus on standardised outcomes and standardised processes is prioritised so that centrally imposed curricula (national curricula for example) and pre-determined learning outcomes for each peer group of children are now the reality of many teachers' experiences internationally (Moss et al, 2016).…”